Today I’m sharing with you one of my favorite variations of the plank!

Meet the Plank Leg Lift:

Processed with VSCO with au5 preset

Processed with VSCO with au5 preset

Using the Plank/Pushup position or even the Bird Dog position to work on stability are all wins in my book.  Unfortunately, most of the time these exercises are completely butchered and lose all their purpose in the process.  This particular variation has an added bonus of challenging the glutes which makes my heart happy 🙂

Here are the keys to getting the most out of this exercise:

• Neutral Spine, no exceptions!
• Draw the shoulders towards your back pockets (thank you Tony Gentilcore for that cue!)
• I also like to keep a little softness in the elbows
• Feel your rib cage pulling down
• Keep some tension in the lower abs and glutes
• When you raise the leg, make sure to only lift if to parallel with the ground.  Did you know you only have 5 degrees of hip extension?  That means that means when you lift too high, your lower back will get too involved
• Pretend you have a glass of water on your back, don’t spill it!
• Try holding for a few seconds once the leg is off the ground
• Start with 5 reps on each side, 2 sets and see how it goes
• And yes, if this doesn’t feel really difficult, you’re cheating

This exercise is also best performed with an awesome view, the top of a mountain or beach are my personal favorite.

Happy Weekend friends!

-S